Lawmakers Proceeding Without Climate Data on Pipeline Bill, Possibly Locking in Fossil Fuel Development

Strategic Insights -

Despite Democratic leaders' promises to advance a bill to gut environmental laws and expedite oil and gas pipelines, lawmakers appear to be proceeding without any reliable analyses comprehensively quantifying the climate effects of the initiative. Congressional staffers and environmental groups have seen no such data, despite a draft version of the pipeline bill being in the public domain since early last month. This lack of data creates a climate emergency blind spot, as lawmakers continue to advance legislation with potentially disastrous consequences for the environment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Democratic-led initiative to gut environmental laws and expedite oil and gas pipelines has been met with resistance from environmental groups and lawmakers, who are concerned about the lack of reliable climate data on the project's effects.
  • A recent study by researchers at Michigan Technological University found that pipelines account for nearly half of the United States' carbon dioxide emissions, as the infrastructure accelerates the distribution and use of fossil fuels.
  • Congressional investigators have found that "oil and gas companies have internal data showing that methane emission rates from the sector are likely significantly higher than official data reported to [the Environmental Protection Agency] would indicate".
  • Employees from one of the companies leading the West Virginia pipeline project, NextEra, have been funneling cash to lawmakers Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer, with their company dumping over $400,000 into Democrats' House and Senate campaign committees.
  • Democratic candidates and committees have vacuumed in over $13m from donors in the fossil fuel, utility, and pipeline industries, highlighting the influence of special interest money on the legislative process.
  • The pipeline deal, backed by the Biden administration, has been negotiated between Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin, who are respectively Congress's top recipients of utility and fossil fuel industry campaign cash.
  • Fossil fuel companies have shown support for the bill, despite promises to combat climate change, driving concerns about the project's true intentions and the avoidance of emissions projections and data.

Statistics:

  • Pipelines account for nearly half of the United States' carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent study by researchers at Michigan Technological University.
  • Millions of metric tons of methane are released annually due to pipeline leaks.
  • The Mountain Valley pipeline is estimated to have the lifetime emissions of approximately 25 coal-fired power plants.
  • The Line 3 pipeline is estimated to have the equivalent emissions of 50 coal-fired power plants.
  • One-quarter of US emissions since 2005 have come from public lands, which Manchin and the GOP want to open up for more drilling.

Sources:

  • Michigan Technological University (Researchers' Study)
  • Environmental Defense Fund (Government data on pipeline leaks)
  • Food and Water Watch (Statement from Jim Walsh)
  • 350.org (Statement from Jamie Henn)
  • The Lever (Article by David Sirota and Julia Rock)
  • AP (Photograph of Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer)